Page:VCH Buckinghamshire 1.djvu/231

Rh less than twenty-two lines of dotted ornament running horizontally round the outside of the vessel. These hut floors, or 'pit-dwellings' were formed by sinking a floor 3–7 feet and throwing out the earth round the opening which was 14–20 feet in diameter; on the bank thus formed were placed stakes leaning towards the centre and supporting a roof of turf, bracken, or other material. Associated with the 'drinking-cups' were cinerary and other vessels, also fragments of ornamented pottery, bones of domestic animals, and part of a polished stone axe.

A hoard of bronze-age objects was found at New Bradwell in the year 1879. This hoard, which was contained in a deep cist filled with black earth and about 1 foot 6 inches deep, consisted of sixteen objects, namely, 9 socketed celts, 3 broken celts, 1 palstave, 2 spear-heads, and a leaf-shaped sword broken into four pieces. The site of the discovery is now occupied by the County Arms Hotel.

In the British Museum is a bronze palstave, 6 inches long, and not of uncommon type. It has sides and stop ridges, and a raised rib on the blade. It is of interest as having been found in Buckinghamshire, but the exact locality is not known.

Sir John Evans, in his treatise on the Ancient Bronze Implements, Weapons and Ornaments of Great Britain (page 333), records the discovery in the Thames near Datchet of an 'eyed' spear-head no less than 22 inches long; also of another spear-head (page 330) 22¼ inches long in the same locality, and now preserved in the British Museum.

The river-bed near Taplow, which may be considered to be as intimately related to Buckinghamshire as to Berkshire, has furnished some bronze-age weapons, etc., of an unusually interesting character. The British Museum possesses an important collection procured here, and presented in 1898 by Mrs. Ada Benson. The articles include five socketed spear-heads and two broken swords. One of the spear-heads